2007: Anenih Asks Interested Civil Servants to Resign
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The battle for the Delta State governorship race may have commenced as Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustee (BOT), Chief Anthony Anenih, has called on civil servants who are interested to resign their appointments and join the party.
Anenih spoke in his Uromi hometown when Chief Edwin Obielum, a serving Assistant Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and other governorship aspirants, visited him to seek his blessing for their ambition to become the next governor of the state by 2007.
Briefing newsmen on the outcome of their visit to Uromi Chief Uzorka Okonjo told THISDAY that the Delta North delegation to Uromi was led by Professor B. I. C. Ijeoma, Chief Ugboma, Dr. Okolocha both Delta State serving commissioners and Hon. Emegwu, a member of Delta House of Assembly were in Uromi to seek the blessing of Anenih for the governorship ambition of Obielum from the Kwale federal constituency and others.
Surprisingly, he said that the delegation met the shock of their life when Anenih turned down their request and traditional kola nut with which they came with.
According to Okonjo, the PDP Board of Trustee Chairman told the delegation: "You are still a civil servant, you are a serving officer of the Nigeria Police Force, you are not supposed to be involved in active politics like this, to the extent of wanting to be the governor of a state."
Anenih asked Obielum to resign from the police, if he is interested in politics saying "you should first resign your commission and join PDP, if you are interested in PDP."
According to Okonjo, the PDP leader told the delegation that his endorsement of Obielum does not make him an automatic candidate.
Anenih said the delegation led by Ijeoma that they should bear in mind that there are several other candidates who have so far declared interest in the Delta State governorship race within the party.
According to Okonjo "The BOT chairman also gave the same answer to other candidates that visited him. He specifically told the civil servants among them to resign their appointments first, as civil servants, they cannot serve two masters."
Anenih, according to Okonjo used the occasion to chide Senator Nwajei asking him "whether he was not the one, who introduced Chief Godson Chiejella to him as an aspirant to me."
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